I've never had another car with so much black plastic trim that gets involved when waxing this car. The last time, I spent forever using Painter's Tape to cover all the black before I waxed. See Pic below. It worked very well, but it was a hellava job!

Has anyone come up with an easier method? What little wax I have gotten on the black has been a pain to get off, no matter what I used (peanut butter, Black Wow, Mothers Black, etc). I want to wax, but I don't have the extra energy to do the painter's tape method!!

(BTW, I use Prima Epic Wax with Hydro after each wash. But I am not comfortable using just the Hydro on a permanent basis)

My Clubbie in Bondage:

 

First you only need this much tape really;


Apply Black Wow before you wax, then you don't even need to tape.
I use very little tape, not even as much as in the above photo, since applying BW first.

Mark

 

yah, that'll discourage 95% of the normal folks from waxing the car...

i still say Hydro it and just forget about it on a dd. it's going to get dirty anyway.

btw lotsie- nice tape job!

 

Before I put Epic on my MINI I treat all of those black bits with a liberal coating of Wizards Black. I finish waxing, oh I mean Epicing the car & then wipe off all of the excess Wizards Black. I'm still careful applying the wax, but if I do screw up a bit it wipes off the trim easily. No way I'm going to tape a car to wax it.

 

303 protectant works real well also. Just use it first then wax.

 

I use the Black Wow before putting on Epic. I did the tape thing once, and I mean, once! Never again!!

 

Yep I think any flavor of trim protectent will work.

I won't use Black for this job, because it costs so darned much. I reserve Black Wow for those times I do have something stubborn to get off the trim.

 

So, from what everyone is saying, using one of the sealers on the black trim before waxing seems to work. I'm gonna give it a shot and see. I just HATE wax residue on the black trim......possibly even more than an un-waxed car!

Thanks all.

 

Yup.

Personally, I Black Wow the trim before adding any wax/sealers. Then any overage just wipes right off, and I'm a sucker for getting bored with the small jobs at the end of a big challenge, so getting the trim done early is a bonus.

 

You mean you don't tape the paint before applying Black Wow?

 

 

This maybe a weird question, but why don't you just clean the black after waxing? I use an old rag with glass cleaner and carefully wipe down the black plastic parts, and then put on a nice coat of shine on the trim. Seems like it would be a lot quicker than taping.

 

Nother quick question. How hard is it going to be for you to remove that Obama sticker from your bumper? Will it leave a mark or fade your paint differently?
Guess we could hope for change on that one... hah, jk.

 

Good job on the taping. IMO, you haven't taped enough though. If you wanted to do a thorough job, you'd tape the emblems, the window belt line as well. But the question that comes to mind is simply..why?

Are you waxing by hand or with a random orbital polisher? If you're waxing by hand, you really don't need to tape ALL of the trim. If you're waxing by machine, it's pretty much a given that the time and effort saved by the machine will be offset by the prep needed.

For instance, why did you tape the lower side skirt? You can always wax the door by opening it, and you have no chance of getting wax on it.

If you think about WHY you are taping, and what the potential risks are, you can minimize the taping needed. You also don't need to tape the ENTIRE wheel arches, even when machine polishing/waxing. The risk of getting wax on the entire trim closest to the wheel is very low.

When working by machine, getting polish under emblems, between panel cracks, and on the trim is ugly. As has been said, if you protect it with Black Wow first, clean up is very easy. Trying to clean up dried wax after the fact, is much more difficult. Course that's why PW was developed.

Remember taping serves two purposes. Prevent staining the trim, and prevent getting wax/polish residue in the cracks that you then need to use a toothbrush or other tool to clean out..and it never fully comes out.

And finally taping is a technique that is used by detailing enthusiasts to keep their rides looking top notch. If you tape properly, you reap the benefits. For a lot of people that hate taping and resist it, they don't see the benefits, and that's fine too.

Richard

 

I agree I didn't need to tape the lower side skirt, but I could just slap the tape on that area and close the door. Plus it's much easier to wax the door panels when they are closed.

It looks like I did a lot more taping than I actually did because the painters tape I bought was pretty wide. I think I should use the narrower tape in the future, which would also be easier to apply. Live and learn.

I hand wax, but I guess I am semi-spastic. No matter how careful I am, I always seem to get some wax on the trim. Then I get to smear peanut butter on my newly waxed car. This time, I'm gonna try conditioning the trim first to see if I can just wipe any over-wax away. If that works, I'll be very happy. Since I hand wax, the emblems and panel gaps have not been a problem.

Thanks,
Rich

 

It's a vinyl sticker so to comes off without a problem. It was my hope that the Obama sticker would change how much time to took to wax the bumper.

 

I agree that all of the black plastic and rubber is a pain. I've decided that when I do the full treatment (once a season so far) clay bar, polish, wax (using a dual action polisher,) I tape off everything. I feel that I have to.

The rest of the time when waxing by hand, I don't tape off anything and just get as close to the black as I can and don't worry about the small amount of paint that doesn't get waxed. It is a compromise, but it has been working for me. Find what works for you and stick to it.

 

Thanks for the post and especially the photo Richs10. My wife used to think I was nuts with some of the things I did cleaning my cars. Not any more!

P.S. I also do the trim restorer first.

 

This may not be well received here but my other car is a Harley and I have been using S100 Carnuba paste wax for years on my Harleys. There is no powder residue, if you get it on the black trim it does not turn white and you cant even tell if you get a little on the trim. It last for months and with some Hydro after each wash it shines as well as any I have seen. Very easy to apply and remove and no wasted time and tape masking everything off. Im sold on it.

 

LOL, my wife disagreed with both of you and said you were both nuts! Too funny...

 

For me its the polish, not the wax I have to watch. Since I've been using Epic I've never gotten wax stains on the plastic. Polish on the other hand will stain my trim like crazy - so I just keep away from the trim where I can and Black WOW everything before and wipe up after. If you are steady and control your movements you can get within 1/4" of the trim with the machine doing polish or wax. Works like a champ.

Save the endangered Blue Tape Tree of upper Borneo - Just say no to tape.

 

Waxing is a PITA....stopped using it while ago...especially with black vinyl graphics on my car.....

I use Zaino - a product originally designed for aircraft....

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

Finisher spritz after using their car wash solution goes on like windex and wipes right off....that it ! No wax on wax off for me anymore, back breaking agony.

With Zaino the rain slips off car does not pool up, Flying bugs hitting bonnet just slip off and hit glass splattering there instead....

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

 

Zaino - used it in the past and as you said no stain issues. That said it was too surface shine and no glossy depth. Epic solved that for me.

 

Why go to all of that trouble, Just get some Zaino "CLEAR SEAL" I use it on the black plastic wheel trim as well as the paint and chrome. The Wheels are also coated with "Clear Seal" It will not only make your car shine but it will protect against the UV rays that will ruin your car in time. You just put it on a clean car and walk away. It will dry without you having the rub it off. Go to the Zaino site for more information. I use nothing but Zaino car wash and Z-8 to keep my car clean between the "Clear Seal' treatments.
I used it on my Corvette and now on my JCW.
Ronnie948

 

I am starting to be amazed at all the suggestions of one product to rule them all...

You sort of have to face the fact that you are in the almost OCD section of the forums where people go thru eleventy different steps to get their car looking not just good, but concourse excellent. There is no, and never will be, single product that does it better than a clean, sealed, waxed and buffed clearcoat.

Now, if you guys say "Hey, my time is valuable, and I cannot spare it to detail my car"... I would totally empathize with ya.

And next time yer gonna use a picture to show how great your product is vs everyone else, at least wipe the breakdust off the rims! ZING!